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  Magical Kiss

  Virginia Cavanaugh

  Being a carnal magic user doesn’t make Breeze Hawthorne “easy”. In fact, she’s tired of the nasty names her kind tends to get labeled with. So when she finds herself paired with sexy water user Chehon McFlint, she’s determined to keep things professional, no matter how bad her body burns for him.

  A horrid beast is about to break loose from an underwater prison and Breeze is running low on juice. When she fails to get hold of her usual service partner, she’s faced with a decision that could cost her emotionally. Chehon seems ready, willing and able to handle the job of recharging her, but Breeze isn’t so sure he’ll leave her heart intact when the job is over.

  A Romantica® paranormal erotic romance from Ellora’s Cave

  Magical Kiss

  Virginia Cavanaugh

  Chapter One

  “This better be important.” Breeze Hawthorne pulled off her helmet, running one hand through her black-and-purple short hair. It had already been a long night, but she couldn’t ignore the last-minute text from her superior telling her she was needed ASAP. Working for Magical and Mystic Security had its days—well, mostly nights—that totally made her want to get out of the witch business for good. But one would have to have a choice to be able to get out and things don’t work that way in the magic business. The magic chose the person, not the other way around. Once you had it, you had it. Then you could only decide what to do with it.

  Sure, she could open up a little shop and don the bright-colored dress and head covering, peddling potions and fortunes, but what would be the fun in that? Most nights she loved her job. Making other magical creatures quake in fear had its perks. And there was that whole saving humanity part that was cool too. But nights like tonight, when she had already needed to stop and shower off preternatural goo twice… Well, yeah, you get the picture.

  Shadows danced in the dimly lit alleyway as a cat screeched and landed on a tin trash can with a metallic rumble. The man standing in the shadows pushed away from the cinderblock wall and began a slow cocky pace toward her. She knew that walk. It had been months since they’d been paired together. Chehon McFlint. A sexy warlock with nasty power. He drew his powers from the element water. And damn if he didn’t have the body of an Olympic swimmer.

  He strode forward, and as he walked under the soft, yellow glow of a security light she could see his mischievous smile. His dirty-blond hair hung in waves that skimmed his strong shoulders. The baby-blue tank top he wore did little to hide his expansive sun-kissed chest. Smooth skin stretched tight over superb muscles. Damn if she wouldn’t mind having a bite of that. White cargo shorts hung low on his lean hips. The light waft of air brought his scent into her nose. Salt. Sea. Man.

  Moisture gathered around her lower lips and she rocked forward on her motorcycle, applying pressure to her sensitive clit. Her energy was low. At least she blamed her body’s reaction to him on that, but in truth she’d wanted him for months. However, she drew the line at sleeping with possible partners. Being a carnal magic user, she had to be careful. Sex fueled her magic. Because of this, people in the witch and warlock community tended to treat her kind like whores and big ole sluts. She got no respect as a person, however, plenty was given to her as a witch. But only because carnal magic held the second most power, the first being blood magic. Those witches and warlocks were even rarer.

  “Hello, Chehon. To what do I owe the pleasure?”

  His tongue snaked out to moisten his full bottom lip as he caressed her with his gaze. “I wish I could say you owe me, but unfortunately you owe an unwise, untrained blood user.”

  Surprise had her eyebrows rising as she swung her leg and dismounted her bike. “Are you sure?”

  “Yep. Teenage girl and her teeny-bopper friends decided to play at being witches. Damn if they didn’t get one hell of a surprise.”

  “Has the foundation picked this girl up yet?” The foundation gathered up magic users as their powers came online and took them to a school out in the middle of nowhere to train them. She could still remember the night they’d come for her. She’d been seventeen and half years old, and a fire had been lit within her that she couldn’t quench. The young witch who found her was kind and gentle. An air user who had knocked her out so that she wouldn’t suffer through the sexual craving. They then gave her a medication to slow the onset of her powers. Most carnal users didn’t come on line until their mid-twenties. The next few years had been spent gaining knowledge until she was old enough to deal with the way she would need to charge her batteries.

  “Yeah. And I took care of her friends’ memories.”

  She wanted to groan. If he had to do a mind wipe, then this couldn’t be good. “How bad are we talking?”

  “Well, let’s just say people will be talking about a water spout on the news that came out of nowhere. Too bad they have no idea how close they were to massive destruction.”

  Since they were meeting in the alley behind the shops that lined the beach, Breeze had a feeling something nasty had nearly been unleashed. Some mystical creatures needed tough prisons. A lot of those sat on the ocean floor. Crap. “Whose cell was affected?” she asked as she winced.

  “Moktanal.”

  She rolled her eyes and released a groan. “Seriously?” This night just kept heading further into the land of Cluster Fuck. Moktanal was a repugnant, large beast that breathed fire, making the ocean floor an awesome place to keep him. But damn if it wasn’t going to take some major energy to repair the walls of his cage. Which meant she would need to recharge. “How bad is the damage?”

  “Extensive. We need to get started soon or he’ll be able to escape.”

  She pulled her cell phone from the pocket of her leather pants. “Give me a second to make a call.” She walked away from Chehon as she dialed the first number. There wasn’t any need for him to overhear her arranging a booty call. Sampson’s voice mail picked up and she left a quick message to return her call. As soon as she disconnected she hit the second programmed number on her call list. Lucian picked up after the second ring.

  “Hey, gorgeous.”

  “Lucian, I need to see if you can meet with me?”

  “Running low on juice, baby?”

  She ground her teeth. “Yes. And I need to do this soon.”

  “Well, I’m in the middle of dealing with some ghouls right now. I could maybe meet you in a couple of hours.”

  Breeze was unsure how long their problem would wait, but unless she could get hold of Sampson, then she would have to take what she could get. “Fine. Call me when you’re done with your ghouls.”

  The flip phone closed with a snap, and she turned on her boot heel, heading back in Chehon’s direction. “I can’t do much of anything in my current state, and it will be a few hours before I can get a boost.” She wanted to cringe as she discussed her need to fuck some other guy with him. “I’m waiting on a call back from Sampson he might be able to help me out sooner.”

  Chehon released a low whistle as he arched one light-colored brow. “Not sure how much time we have.”

  “You can see if there’s a blood user who’s available to help you.” After all, there were others he could siphon energy from. But damn if a feeling of jealousy didn’t stab her right in the chest at the thought.

  He grimaced. “Not really a fan of working with the slaughter types.”

  “Well, you may not have much choice. Beggars can’t be choosers when world destruction hangs in the balance.” But she couldn’t really blame him. Blood users could be scary people. Most of them used animal sacrifice to draw big power, but some of the more shady types used humans. Of course those witches and warlocks didn’t work for M and M Security. At least that she knew of.

  Ch
ehon blew out a frustrated breath. “We’ll wait and see if Sampson calls you back. Shall we?” He held out his hand.

  She gave him a questioning stare.

  “I don’t have anything pernicious in mind. I thought we could go sit on the beach until you get your call. Besides, I could use a recharge myself.”

  She ignored his offered hand, too afraid of what skin-on-skin contact with him would do to her when she was this low, as she strode past him and made her way toward the sand. He might have felt slighted by her actions, but she couldn’t worry about that. She had to protect her own feelings in this. So far Chehon had never treated her like a whore. Their conversations always seemed to flow with ease and they even laughed together from time to time.

  Breeze sure didn’t want to mess things up by coming on to him, because she was weak, and having him reject her, or worse, looking at her the way others did. Just another carnal user looking for a quick fuck. No. She never wanted him to look at her that way. She angled her head up to the sky. Stars sparkled brightly, scattered across the inky black blanket. The full moon gave off ample light. The crash of the waves filled her ears, a pleasant sound. The air around them stirred lightly with a humid wind. “It’s a nice night.”

  “Yes, it is.”

  She shivered as his hot breath caressed the back of her neck. How in the hell had he sneaked up right behind her? A quiver of desire danced through her pussy and she suppressed a moan as she speed up, wanting to put distance between them again. His rich laughter had her glaring at him over her shoulder. The little shit knew what he was doing to her. “That’s not fair.”

  He held his hands up at his sides. “I’m totally innocent.”

  “My ass.”

  “Is quite lovely I must say.”

  “Chehon,” she said, her voice laced with warning. “Keep it up and when I’m recharged I’ll fry yours.”

  The threat earned her another deep laugh. She marched through the sand mumbling. “Men.” She looked down at her phone, willing it to ring. But not even a chirp came from the tiny device. Where in the hell was Sampson?

  Breeze came to a stop as she reached the shore. A small distance away the water lapped at the sand. She took a seat and stared out at the endless expanse. Why couldn’t she be an air user, or anything else? Sometimes she wondered if she would ever be able to have a serious relationship. Other witches and warlocks did. But most carnal users tended to keep things casual, never knowing when they might be called on for big jobs that would require several power-ups.

  Her gaze moved to Chehon as he kicked off his sandals and waded into the water. Waves swirled around his calves and knees. He turned to face her, deep-blue eyes meeting hers. They reminded her of the depths of the ocean, shades darker than her own. A smile tipped up the corners of his full lips, revealing a dimple on his left cheek. She balled her hands into fists, fighting the urge to approach him. Lust coiled in her lower belly as she watched him move through the water, heading back in her direction.

  She wanted to tell him no. To stay put. Go back and play in the waves, but she couldn’t find her words. He sat next to her, stretching his long tanned legs out toward the water. The tide was moving in, and each slide of the salt water skimmed up the beach and lapped at his feet.

  “Too bad we have to work tonight.”

  She turned to look at him, but he continued to stare out at the ocean. “Well, it pays the bills.” Actually it did more than pay the bills. She made pretty good money.

  “I was just thinking it’s a nice night for a swim.”

  She laughed. “It could be cold enough for popsicles to grow off your wet ass and you would still think it a nice night for a swim.”

  He turned a devilish smile her way. “I like the water, but I don’t think I’d go that far. But if you were to join me on a cold night for a swim, I guarantee that I could help you defrost.”

  Her jaw dropped but she quickly recovered, slapping him playfully on the arm. “I’m sure you would.” Her hand burned as she pulled it back and she ground her teeth to keep from reaching out and stroking her fingers down the bulging muscles in his arm. Why couldn’t Sampson hurry the hell up and call her back?

  Chehon took a deep breath and exhaled on a low sigh. “I know you want to wait for your friend to call you back, but I’m a little concerned on the timeframe.”

  She felt her brow lift as she glared at him. “I know you aren’t suggesting I go find the first bum hiding under the pier to get my rocks off with?” His words stung. “I’m sorry I’m holding you up, but just because I am a carnal user doesn’t make me a whore who will saddle up with any Tom, Dick or Beach Bum. I have more requirements than a pulse.” She threw a hand full of sand out in front of her as she bit back the rest of her rant. Damn. Why had she thought him any different? She turned her gaze away from him as she tried to calm down. She was a professional and she could do this. It wasn’t as if she hadn’t been lashed with that attitude before.

  “Breeze?”

  She ignored him. The sound of the oncoming wave roared and Breeze turned her head a second too late. Water splashed over her lap drenching her. “Shit!”

  She glared once again at Chehon who seemed to be nice and dry. “Damn you!” She pulled her phone from her pocket. Water ran in rivets from it and the screen was dark. “You ruined my phone.”

  “Breeze, listen to me.”

  “And why should I do that? In fact. I’m outta here.” She started to stand but an iron grip seized her wrist, pulling her. A harsh breath burst from her lips as she landed on her back in the sand. Before she could take in her next gulp of air, Chehon loomed above her.

  Chapter Two

  “Now wait one damn minute.”

  Breeze wished like hell she wasn’t so fecking low on power. If she had enough to zap his butt she sure as shit would. “Get off me.”

  “No. You’re going to listen to what I have to say first.”

  Damn her treacherous body. Heat flooded her veins as she squirmed beneath him. Her slit became slick with liquid warmth, wanting what his body could give her. She fought back a moan as her hard nipples brushed against his firm chest, the thin material of her shirt hardly any barrier. “I don’t have to listen to one fucking—”

  Her eyelids peeled open wide as his lush mouth crushed down on hers. A jolt of electricity rocketed through her at the contact of his warm lips. She couldn’t resist the greedy thrust of his tongue. Parting her lips, she allowed him to stroke the depths of her mouth. Damn this warlock knew how to kiss. Her hips swiveled against his and she couldn’t miss the length of his erection pressing against her pussy. She spread her legs, cradling his waist in the vee of her thighs. He tasted of salt and man, an exotic mixture that tore at her restraint.

  Chehon pulled back, breaking the lip-lock. “Before you start ranting again, I wasn’t going to tell you to go fuck some bum. In fact, I couldn’t stand it if you did. Nor can I stand the idea of you calling on some other man when I’m right the fuck here.”

  Breeze blinked and tried to clear her mind. The lust coursing through her was powerful, but she needed to be able to have this conversation. “I-I don’t sleep with my partners.”

  He leaned down tracing his lips and tongue over the flesh of her neck. “I get that. But what if I wanted to be more than just your partner in work?”

  A tingling sensation traveled from her neck through her body, making her moan. Oh, hell yeah, she would like that a lot. But it didn’t make it a smart idea. “That could complicate things.”

  His teeth grazed her earlobe. “And your point is?”

  She gasped, pressing closer to his body and rubbing her aching breasts against his chest. “My point is, I don’t want you to look at me like just another whore magic user.” She couldn’t believe she had actually admitted that to him.

  “I could never look at you that way. I understand that you didn’t choose this.” His hand skimmed down her side and he gripped her waist. “When I look you I see a powerful sexiness.” H
is hand moved back up her abdomen and cupped her breast.

  A gasp tore from her mouth as she titled her head back, enjoying the feel of his hands on her.

  “I see breasts that tempt me to touch them. Taste them.” He pushed the fabric of her shirt up. “Would you let me taste them, Breeze?”

  A hundred inner sirens wailed inside her head. It wasn’t a good idea, but damn if she was going to stop him. “Yes. Please.”

  A wicked smile pulled at the corners of his lips before he dipped his head. Her lacy bra didn’t mask much of the sensation. His warm wet mouth closed over her pert nipple and he sucked the flesh into his mouth. She buried her fingers in his hair, the locks silky and soft against her palms. She took in a deep breath, arching her back to give him greater access to her body. His scent wrapped around her. The sweetness of an ocean breeze on a sunny day.

  She moaned as he pushed the cup of her bra out of the way and set to work on her breast. Tongue and teeth played a sinful game on her flesh. Her pussy throbbed and she writhed beneath him, the stiffness of his erection stimulating her through their clothes. He moved his attention to her other breast and she moaned as he mashed the swollen nub of her nipple against the roof of his mouth with his tongue. Sparks of pleasure shot through her pussy and she grew wetter, soaking her panties.

  Chehon released her nipple and moved his mouth back to hers. This time she held nothing back. Her tongue entered into a fierce duel with his. Each slippery slide brought her arousal up a notch. Power sauntered through her veins as she began to recharge. She moaned and he swallowed it down. The thrill of the moment consumed her. She whimpered as he broke the kiss and sat back on his haunches.

  “Damn, Breeze. I knew it would be awesome to have you like this, but I had no idea how powerful an effect you’d have on me.” He pulled her boots free from her feet and then his fingers went to the fastenings of her pants.

  She lifted her hips as he pulled the leather free from her ass, taking her panties with them. She pulled her knees to her chest and he pulled her pants the rest of the way off. He tossed them behind him to land carelessly on the sand. She planted her feet and spread her legs.